Based in the United Kingdom, Veloce Publishing is broadly respected as the creator of beaucoup volumes on European cars that have usually been scarce on these shores, such as the French iconoclast, Citroen. One of its authors, Julian Parish, is a resident of France who has a close personal relationship with one of its better-known models, the Citroen Dyane. Now, he’s made an admirable addition to the publishing house’s compact series of Pictorial Histories on significant cars, which until now has focused on British-built subjects. So with Citroen Cars 1934 to 1986, Parish expands the series to examine purely Continental offerings for the first time.
As the title implies, this is a photo history, with Parish requiring about 150 softcover pages to both introduce readers to the manufacturer and then take on compact, well-informed chapters on significant individual Citroens from the fabled Traction Avant forward. The DS/ID, CX and 2CV ranges get justified equal billing, with entries that will help those who are less than conversant on these unique cars to understand their history and technical development. Photos abound, many of which take the reader into customs or one-offs. Example: Did you know that the esteemed Citroen SM coupe, with Maserati power, was once converted into an open-top tourer, and even a T-top variant? Neither did we, and it’s all in here.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 